Life in the Left Lane

I think I can, I think I can...

Today I accomplished my first solo drive in the left lane about 20 minutes or so to a little town called Hotaka.  Aside from the fact that everything *inside* the car is backwards, driving on the left side of the road is not so bad--as long as you ignore the "gaijin traps", deep, open gutters on the side of the road that my poor depth-perception makes me think I am a lot farther away from than I really am.

After I turned on every single thing on the car *except* the blinker, I finally realized that everything is on the opposite side of where I would expect it. Shifter on the left, blinker on the right, wipers on the left, lights on the right.  No, I never claimed to be intelligent.

Now, to master backing into parking spaces, as it seems this is the accepted way to park.  Hmmm.

The end result of my happy trip to Hotaka was shopping at the Seiyu.  Granted, I was headed for the *Toyoshina* Seiyu, rather than the Hotaka Seiyu... but as long as I have food and didn't get completely lost, I say... what's the diff?

http://www.seiyu.co.jp/food/  Check out Seiyu here!

Love, love, love....

For those of you who don't know, Seiyu is an amazing place full of lots of American foods people told me I could not get here.  Like peanut butter.  And Reese's peanut butter cups.  And cookies.   And huge bottles of Coke Zero.  And real, non-funkily topped pizza.  Just thinking about what is currently nestled in my cupboards makes me smile contentedly.  Ah, Seiyu.

However, I could write a separate blog on the strange, very different things I find parked next to my good ole American peanut butter and pizza.  Like sandwiches with unidentified meat and spaghetti.  Yum.  And every kind of dehydrated, salted mystery creature you can think of compressed in a bag and put on view for your consumption.  Double yum.                                                                                                                                       

Need more hangers...

I finally was brave enough to hang my laundry outside today.  Except the personals.  Just couldn't put my undergarments on display for my soon-to-be students to potentially see.  Sorry.  Now back to looking up one line toasts in case I have to give one at the welcome party tonight... better safe than sorry.